Hispanic Heritage Month Opening Celebration Highlights Family, Shaping the Future

SBU celebrated the 35th year of Hispanic Heritage Month on October 2 with its traditional Opening Celebration. Photos by John Griffin.

The Stony Brook University community gathered on October 2 to celebrate the 35th year of Hispanic Heritage Month, an annual event which recognizes the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States and the world.

Since 1989, Hispanic Heritage Month at Stony Brook has grown into a celebration of cultural pride, educational growth, and community engagement. This year's theme, Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together, reflects the spirit of progress that has defined the Hispanic community's influence.

Interim President Richard McCormick addressed the celebration in SAC Ballroom A, and Manuel (Manny) Cortes, director of Safety and Support Services for Campus Residences, provided the keynote address. Cortes is a first-generation college student who graduated from Stony Brook in 1989 and returned to the campus as a staff member in 1996. A two-time recipient of the Los Padrinos Award - given to an SBU faculty or staff member that has contributed to the quality of life, educational growth, and development of Latino students- Cortes talked about the importance of family, and how the Latino community at Stony Brook became his home away from home.

The opening celebration also included the traditional display of flags on the Academic Mall, a reading of Stony Brook University's own Hispanic Heritage Month Proclamation, performances and music. It was hosted by the Division of Student Affairs, the Diversity, Intercultural and Community Engagement (DICE) Office, the Office of Student Life, the Latin American Student Organization, Jubile Latino, the Latin American, Latinx and Caribbean Studies Center and the Auxiliary Services Association.

The monthlong celebration will continue throughout October with a variety of events that have been planned by students and departments. These include art exhibits, educational workshops, lectures and films. Visit the Hispanic Heritage Month website for the complete schedule of HHM events.

The annual closing ceremony will take place on Wednesday, October 30 at 4:30 pm in SAC Ballroom A, and will include awards and recognition for students, faculty, and staff who have made significant contributions to the Latino community at Stony Brook, presentation of scholarships, performances, music, a Latin American traditional dinner, and a basket raffle fundraiser. Reservations can me made online by completing the reservation form by October 25.

View a gallery of photos from the opening celebration by John Griffin:

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.